Greek Medicine: THE GRECO-ROMAN BATH THE GRECO-ROMAN BATH Cleanliness is Health The ancient Greeks and Romans had the wisdom and insight to know that bodily cleanliness was an essential component of good hygiene and good health. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was plunged into the ignorance of the Dark Ages, and this simple and self evident hygienic truth was obscured and covered over by a plethora of unfounded superstitions about the dangers of bathing. Bathing is also a way of caring for and loving the body by taking good care of it. This ran counter to the Church's prevailing attitude of ascetic denial and despising of the body and its needs. In Western civilization, bathing practices suffered somewhat of a disruption or hiatus due to the ignorance and superstition that prevailed in the Dark Ages and medieval times. And so, bathing had to reinvent itself in the modern era. Consequently, the way we bathe today is quite different from the way the ancient Greeks and Romans bathed. Let's see how: Bathing: A Way of Life The most important thing to understand about the classical approach to bathing is that it was a way of life.

The Greek and Roman baths incorporated not only the mere cleansing of the body, but also exercise and sports, socializing, lectures and entertainment, and even snacks and delicacies. Most importantly, it was a great way to relax and chill out after a hard day's work. The Romans are most famous for the magnificent baths they built, like the imperial baths at Caracalla; they were perhaps the most ardent devotees of the bath. But the Greeks also loved bathing, although the baths they constructed were much simpler affairs. In the ancient Greek baths, we can see the origins of the later Roman baths. The ancient Greeks and Romans lived a more communal lifestyle than we do today, and weren't as ashamed to expose their bodies. Some baths were sexually segregated, but many others weren't. Toilets at the public baths consisted of a series of slots in a long slab of marble. Underneath the marble slab, an inclined sewage ditch with running water carried away the excrements. The users of these toilets sat next to each other, unseparated and unhidden by any partitioning walls or stalls. A gymnasium or palaestra adjoined many public baths. This was used for athletics and sporting activities.

Many athletes worked out in the nude at sports like running, wrestling and weightlifting; for women, the preferred activities were swimming and running while driving a rolling hoop with a stick. Nowadays, bathing is a private matter for most people, as most homes have their own lavatory and bathing facilities, but in ancient times, bathing was a communal affair. In addition to promoting a public spirit of health awareness, the public baths were centers for socializing and entertainment. Food vendors hawked their wares of light snacks and delicacies. Strolling musicians, acrobats and jugglers offered entertainment. One could even listen to the discourses and dialogs of philosophers; even the likes of Plato obliged the public at the baths. Types of Baths An ancient Greek steam bath was called a Laconia. It was usually a circular room with a large, conical domed roof. It was heated either by fires underneath the floor, or by rocks heated in a fire, which were then brought into the bath with pitchforks and placed into a central tray. Water was then poured onto the hot rocks to create steam. Sometimes, the leaves or branches of Bay Laurel, Fir, Pine, or Juniper were added for their therapeutic essences.

Or, the infusions or essential oils of these plants were used. The sweating process could be enhanced by previously massaging the body with oils medicated with these or other essences, or by quaffing a cup of hot diaphoretic herb tea like Peppermint or Elder flowers before entering the steam bath. At the Roman public baths, bathers would usually first soak in the warm waters of the Tepidarium bath to relax and unwind. Once the body was relaxed, and the pores had started to open, the bather then entered into the pool of the Caldarium, where water temperatures could reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Celsius or more. And finally, a quick dip into the cold water pool of a Frigidarium was needed to brace the body and close the pores. The warm waters of the Tepidarium relax the muscles and joints, and improve the circulation, digestion and appetite. The hot waters of the Caldarium fully open the capillaries and provoke a good sweat. A final quick dip in the Frigidarium closes the pores, which protects the organism from incoming drafts and chills.

Cleaning the Body Nowadays, soap, in one form or another, is almost universally used to clean the body, but it wasn't always so. The ancient Greeks and Romans first smeared their wet bodies with a mixture of pumice and ashes, and then applied a liberal dose of olive oil over that. Then, they used a curved metal scraper called a strigil to scrape of this "muck", which would take the dirt and grime that had accumulated on the skin along with it. The body, thus cleaned, was ready to immerse itself in the large warm or hot water pools for a long soak. Although soap-like substances have been found in artifacts in archeological excavations of ancient Egyptian and Babylonian sites dating back to almost 3,000 BCE, according to Roman legend, soap, called sapon, was invented quite by accident on a sacred mountain, Mount Sapo. There, the fat or tallow from sacrificially slaughtered animals accidentally mixed with ashy water that flowed over the ashes of sacrificial fires to create the world's first soap. Or at least that's how we got the word. That's the basic chemistry of soapmaking.

The water and ashes, when mixed together, create alkaline potassium salts which, when mixed with oils or fats, transforms them into a detergent, or soap, in a process called saponification. A detergent, which all soaps are, is a substance capable of emulsifying fats, grease and grime, so it can be washed away or cleansed by water. In ancient Greece, a soap or detergent was called smegma. In modern medical terminology, smegma means a cheesy, foul-smelling exudate that collects on the genitals of both sexes. By the second century AD, Galen was recommending soap for cleansing and therapeutic purposes. An auxiliary cleansing procedure that was sometimes used before the rubdown with oil or soap was rubbing the wet body with a mitt made of coarse muslin cloth. This not only stimulated and opened up the capillary circulation, but it also removed any residual dead skin on the surface of the epidermis. Galen also recommended this treatment on the dry, clean body prior to massage. It would open the pores, stimulate the peripheral circulation, and prepare the body to receive the oil.

Nowadays, the traditional coarse muslin cloth has been replaced, in most cases, by the loofa sponge or the bristle brush, which are used for the same purposes. Healing Spas and Curative Waters The ancient Greeks were great believers in the therapeutic powers of bathing. Hippocrates recommends daily bathing and massage with fragrant oils for optimum health. The ancient Greeks also used medicinal baths of minerals, salts and herbal infusions for therapeutic purposes. A bath of clay water or epsom salts can draw toxins out of the body. A bath in an infusion of Bay Laurel leaves or essence stimulates the circulation and relieves rheumatic aches and pains. A bath in Lavender scented water soothes the nerves and helps one relax. The ancient Greeks and Romans went to certain natural hot springs resorts to "take the waters", because these waters had special healing properties. Different hot springs resorts were indicated for different conditions, and each had their own specialties. Wherever the Romans went in expanding their far-flung empire, they took their baths with them. The Roman baths at Bath, England are preserved even to this day.

In Dacia, or present day Romania, Baile Herculane, or The bath of Hercules, is still functioning, drawing many to seek out its curative waters. In European countries like Romania, in which many of the old Greek and Roman spas are still functioning, balneotherapy, or medicinal bathing, is a recognized subspecialty of medicine. I will go into hydrotherapy and balneotherapy in more detail in my article on the Water Cure, in the Therapies section of this website. Bathing, whether for cleansing or therapeutic purposes, makes use of the Expulsive Virtue of the Water element. That's the whole principle behind it, and the secret of its efficacy. Turkish Baths, or Hammams The Roman baths live on in spirit in the Turkish Hammams. I was priviledged to have the opportunity to bathe in one the last time I visited Istanbul, Turkey. First, you are given a towel, some soap, a key, and a cloth skirt, or wrap. You enter a private cubicle and undress, wrapping yourself in the wrap. Then, you enter the main room of the bath.

You are doused with water, then rubbed with mitts of coarse muslin cloth to rub off the residual dead skin. Next follows a thorough sudsing and rubdown with soap, worked into a profuse lather. Then, you are dowsed again and rinsed of the suds. A second sudsing and lathering follows, followed by a second rinse. Then, you soak in a hot tub, or lie on a warm marble slab to relax and chill out. If you wish, you may receive a massage with fragrant, scented medicinal oils. When you come out, you feel thoroughly refreshed, revitalized and thoroughly clean. You have been reborn! Internet Resources There are many great internet sites on Greco-Roman bathing practices, many of which provided a lot of the information in this article. The PBS TV program Nova has an excellent site up on the Roman baths. The highlight is a virtual tour of the imperial Roman baths at Caracalla, and even recipes for some of the traditional Roman snacks and delicacies that were available at the baths. The site is at: Roman Baths and Hygiene in Ancient Rome Roman Baths and Hygiene in Ancient Rome Roman Baths and Hygiene in Ancient Rome Toilets, etc.

By N.S. Gill Updated August 09, 2016. Hygiene in ancient Rome included the famous public Roman baths, toilets, exfoliating cleansers, public facilities, and -- communal toilet sponge (ancient Roman Charmin®) notwithstanding -- generally high standards of cleanliness. When trying to explain to children, students, readers, or friends what life was once like, nothing gets to the heart of the matter more poignantly than intimate details about daily life. Telling young children that there were no televisions, movies, or radio, no electric or traffic lights , no refrigerators, or air conditioners , no cars, trains, or airplanes, doesn't convey the "primitive" conditions nearly so well as explaining that instead of using toilet paper, they used a communal sponge -- dutifully rinsed out after use. In reading about the ancient practices, it is important to put away preconceived notions. Did urban centers like ancient Rome stink? Certainly, but so do modern cities, and who's to say whether the smell of diesel exhaust is any less overwhelming than the smell of Roman urns for collecting urine for the fullers (dry cleaners)?

continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Soap is not the be-all and end-all of cleanliness. Bidets are not so common in the modern world that we can afford to scoff at ancient hygiene practices. Threads on ancient hygiene generated enormous interest in the Ancient/Classical History Forum. The following are some of the points made by those interested and knowledgeable about ancient Rome. Access to Toilets "According to O.F. Robinson, Ancient Rome : City Planning and Administration, there were 144 public latrines in Rome in the later Empire. Apparently mostly concomitant of the public baths, which only makes sense as they could share water and sewerage. There may have been a token payment if they were separate from the baths, she conjectures. She also writes that they were comfortable places, where one might sit and read, or otherwise "amuse oneself sociably," hoping for [dinner] invitations. She cites a ditty by Martial : Why does Vacerra spend his hours in all the privies, and day-long sit? He wants a supper, not a s**t." [Urine tax] "Public urinals consisted of buckets, dolia curta.

The contents were regularly collected and sold to the fullers for cleaning wool, etc. That's where the tax story comes in. The fullers were the ones who were taxed. The collectors had public contracts and could be fined if late." ROMAHOST Access to Hygiene Facilities for the Rich "Readings from The Visible Past, by Michael Grant, indicate that hygiene in the Roman World was limited to the rich and famous, except for those who could afford the public baths or thermaes, as running water did not reach the poor's tenements from the aqueducts; these lesser folks relieved themselves in pots or commodes which were emptied into vats located under staircases and these emptied into cesspools throughout the city. The rich and famous, from the emperor on down, enjoyed running water in palaces and mansions from lead pipes connected to the aqueducts. At Pompeii, for instance, all houses except the poorest had water pipes fitted with taps, and the waste water was piped away into sewer or trench." ANDRESGRANA Access to Hygiene Facilities for the Poor "Florence Dupont (Daily Life in Ancient Rome) writes that it was for reasons of ritual that the Romans washed frequently. And she adds that ". . .

even in very ancient times and even in the depth of the country, Romans, including women and slaves, would wash every day and would have a thorough bath on every feast day if not more often. At Rome itself, baths were taken daily. "According to her, the admission fee at public baths was one-quarter as. [Affordable for pretty much everyone.] "Joachim Marquardt (Privatleben der Römer) writes that fees differed, mentions one-quarter to one as for men, but always one full as for women, and that children got in free. He also writes that life-long free baths might be bequeathed in wills. That in itself seems to stress the importance of bathing." ROMAHOST Roman Way of Cleaning Clothes "I have read that the Romans learned of soap from the Germans some time in the first century CE, and that previous to that they used urine (ammonia) for clothes. Using the two in combination, of course, would be even more effective. Urine was apparently treated in some way before use, but I do not know how.

It may have been either a chemical process or a distillation." RMARTINEK Hair Care in Ancient Rome " Ovid' s advice on grooming includes hair removal, and not just men's beards. Whether this was accomplished by shaving, plucking or other depilatory practices is sometimes hard to tell. Julius Caesar was noted by Suetonius to have been meticulous in hair removal. Seems he didn't want hair anywhere except where he didn't have it (the crown of his head, hence the famous comb-over). "Not that hair is inherently dirty or stinks; but there was an aesthetic of cleanness, of refining the surface. I've read somewhere that pervasive hair removal was characteristic of Egyptian priests, maybe as a form of purification; for practical purposes, it reduces susceptibility to lice, for instance." CYNWOLFE Tools For Cleaning "As Romahost has already said, [a strigil] is an instrument for scraping the skin.

Bear in mind that oil was used in classical times for removing grime, and unlike soap which forms a lather with water and can be rinsed off, the oil had to be scraped off; thereafter, in a water-rich area (eg Italy) a bath could be taken, and in other cases clean (scented) oils could be used to finish off the job. "The strigil at first glance looks a bit like a clasp-knife, handle and blade being in total about 8" (if memory serves) in most cases. The blade is gently curved to accommodate the curves of the body and the handle is sometimes of another material such as bone or ivory. "I have read somewhere that Augustus' face had sores caused by excessive use of the strigil. "The museum at Thessalonica in N. Greece has plenty of them; They must have a website, so I am sure you will be able to get all the info you need. THEAGENE1 Cleansers vs. Soap in the Ancient World "A respondent later in this exchange reminded readers of the Roman use of olive oil, along with the strigil to exfoliate. Soap is mainly just processed fat.

The Celts of Gaul are sometimes credited, I think by Pliny, with the invention of soap (sapo) and may have used sheep tallow to make it. I'm not sure rubbing one's body with a product made from the fat of slaughtered animals is inherently more aesthetic or clean than using olive oil. "It occurs to me that sitting on the edge of my own bathtub is a commercially prepared exfoliating rub made from olive oil, coarse salt, and sage extract, which would have been quite at home in another of Ovid's treatises, the one on making cosmetics. And at my local holistic grocery store or international market, I can buy a gentle, emollient soap made from olive oil, to confuse the distinction between oil and soap further. CYNWOLFE More on Soap "Further to the writer's discussion about soap, (and urine as a cleanser, etc.), and having just seen a programme about the Colosseum where a comment was made about death being a constant companion, tombs by the entrance to the city and the smell of burning corpses... (How the heck did they put up with the stench?) how much of a sense of hygiene did the Romans have?

I know they didn't have the modern understanding of germs etc. Did their obsession with bathing extend to their clothes and homes? Did they have social/religious rules or customs (like the Jewish religious guidelines) that, by default, resulted in reduced spread of disease? Did their strict military camp setup result in improved hygiene?" AB_DRAWSKTCH History of Shaving "Here is an interesting webpage about the history of shaving. I am not too sure about all of the information. The author seems to think that because high foreheads were fasionable for women during the first half of the fifteenth century, that high foreheads were fashionable from 476 - 1270 A.D." KIRKALAN The History of Soap Making - Super Soap Making See All Articles The History of Soap Making The history of soap making is closely woven into the history of many civilizations. This is because soap (once discovered) was not only used for cleaning, but it was also used for healing, for religious rituals, and to show wealth or prestige. The Ancient World Our first records of soap were dated as early as 2800 BC.

An excavation of ancient Babylon revealed evidence of soap making since soap-like material (remains of fats boiled with ashes) were found in clay jars. It is unknown, however, if these were used for the same purposes we use soap today. This soap-like material could have been used as a hairstyling aid, just as the Germans and Gauls of ancient Europe used soap (a mixture of tallow and ash) to tint their hair. Next oldest are records found in ancient Egypt, particularly the Ebers Papyrus which was dated 15000 BC described the combining of animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts. The material that was formed (soap) was said to treat skin diseases, and was also used for washing. It seems that though the ancient Egyptians did have soap and their records show that they bathed regularly, they used other materials for their personal hygiene. The Bible too has records of soap making, with Moses giving an order to mix oils and ashes in order to produce a cleanser for the hair. It was from Moses' decree that the famous line “cleanliness is next to godliness” was derived.

Though this history of soap making shows that many ancient civilizations had access to soap and had knowledge of cleanliness, they didn't exactly see soap as part of cleanliness. For example, the ancient Greeks would bathe often and wash their clothes often, but neither process involved soap. The Romans An old Roman legends speaks of the discovery of soap as accidental. When the rains washed away a mixture of animal fat and wood ashes from Mount Sapo, the mountain in which animals were sacrificed for religious rituals, this mixture mixed in with the clay along the Tiber. This is why the women of Rome always found it easier to wash their laundry along the waters of the Tiber. Like the Greeks, the Romans were well aware of cleanliness. One of the things the empire is famous for are the Roman Baths. These public bathing places were quite popular among the Romans, who constantly tried to improve their bathing systems and their cleanliness rituals. By the 2nd century AD, the Roman Galen recommended that soap must be used for bathing. So soap gained acceptance among people and was sometimes seen as a necessity. After the fall of the Roman Empire, however, the Middle Ages brought about a dark and superstitious time which gave no importance to bathing.

It is said that the lack of hygiene during this period is one of the reasons for the many plagues that wiped out the populations in Europe. The lack of hygiene continued for a long period of history, and it wasn't until the 17th century did bathing become popular once more. Early Modern Period The history of soap making took a great leap during this period in time. Soap making became an established craft among the guilds in Europe. Their most basic recipe was to mix vegetable and animal oils together with the ashes of plants. They also added fragrance to the mixture. With the development of many fragrances and the experimentation of which oils to use, guilds began to develop varieties of soap, turning the simple procedure into a profitable industry. In the beginning, the soap was greatly taxed, making it something only the rich could afford. Later on, however, the tax was removed and soap became available to all people. This boosted its popularity, and soon everyone was bathing with soap! Early centers of soap making in Europe include Italy, Spain, and France because these countries had a steady and good supply of raw materials for making good quality soap. Olive oil, for example. Colonial History and the Modern World Europe's history of soap making is centered around discovery.

The history of soap making among the colonies is centered around the manufacturing of soap. It was during this era that discoveries or experiments yielded fruitful in the development and production of cheaper materials for making soap in abundance. Soap manufacturers in the colonies adapted the new developments and discoveries involved with the making of soap. It was this openness to new methods and the support for “building things bigger” that prompted William Colgate to open Colgate & Co. in 1806. His company became the first big soap company in America, being able to produce 45000 lbs. of soap in one batch. Not long after, William Proctor and James Gamble opened their own company from which Ivory soap was produced. B.J. Johnson also created his own company which chose to make soap only with palm and olive oils. He named his soap Palmolive, after the oil combination. The soap industry continued to grow. However, most of the companies still used the old methods of making soap, which involved natural materials. It wasn't until a fats and oil shortage in Germany during World War I did scientists work on the chemistry of soap making and begin to develop synthetic materials for making soap.

These synthetic materials produced a soap that did not combine with mineral salts in water (which natural soaps did) and form insoluble soap curds. They also found that these synthetic soaps made excellent cleaning agents, now known as detergents. American soap manufacturers embraced the methods for making detergents, but continued to make natural soaps for self-hygiene. It wasn't until World War II when another shortage of fats and oils came did the detergent industry really take off in America. Primarily because the military needed a good and cheap cleaning agent that would work well with the sea water they had to wash their clothes with. After the war, soaps and detergents continued to improve. The first commercially manufactured liquid hand soap came out it 1970, and from this innovation others followed. Now, there are so many types of soaps! From liquid soap to bath bombs to soap gels or beads, herbal soaps, natural material soaps, decorative soaps, and so many more!

History of Olive Oil History of Olive Oil Crete Products History of Olive Oil Olive tree cultivation and olive oil production has been with humankind since time immemorial, according to evidence that provide the artefacts and archaeological remains of the most ancient civilisations. The olive has been an integral part of life in the eastern Mediterranean from the first stirrings of civilisation. There are stone mortars and presses used for olive oil extraction that date back to 5000 BC ( History of olive oil in Israel ). Archaeological findings from the Minoan Palaces in Crete are fine examples of olive oil’s role in the Cretan or Minoan civilisation, which reached its zenith between 2000 and 1450 BC. From the time of ancient Egypt into the modern religions, olive oil has been used in religious ceremonies and as an external ointment, and you will find many citations about the olive in the Old Testament and other holy writings. After the Flood, an olive leaf brought by a dove told Noah that the flood waters had abated.

Clay tablets from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar listed allocations of oil to Jeboiachin, the young king of Judah, taken prisoner by the Babylonians in 597 BC. Throughout the various civilisations, the olive tree and olive oil have occupied pivotal positions in the agricultural economy of Mediterranean countries and in their commerce with neighbouring populations. The Minoans of Crete were among the first cultures to achieve prosperity on olive oil, and Crete continues to be an important olive production area to the present day. History of Olive Oil: Olive Oil in Minoan Crete Fresco at the Knossos Palace - Bull and Olive Tree Archaeological finds proving that the Minoans used olive oil in their daily lives are found everywhere in Crete. One particularly impressive discovery is the untouched olives with the flesh preserved, found at the bottom of a cup sunk in a water cistern at the Minoan Palace of Kato Zakros. The Minoans used olive oil in their diet, as a cleanser instead of soap , as the base for scents and ointments, as a medicine, in tanning, for lighting and to protect delicate surfaces.

Ancient stone olive presses have been found in Crete. The one in Vathypetro, Archanes is believed to be the oldest in Europe. Olive oil was stored in large pithoi like those found in the West Magazines of the Minoan Palace of Knossos , with a total estimated capacity of 250,000 kilos. Traditional scholarship puts the origin of olive trees in ancient Iran and Turkestan. However, other scholars argue that the modern olive tree must have originated in multiple locations, since it seems to have appeared simultaneously in southern Anatolia (now Turkey), Palestine (now Jordan and Israel), and the Levant (now Syria and Lebanon) — countries that, as the ox cart went, were so far from each other in antiquity. Olive tree cultivation was already widely scattered in the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, and North Africa by the time the proto-Greeks colonised the Greek peninsula. Cultivation was not a universal activity, and as late as 500 BCE, civil leaders were still exhorting people to grow more olive trees. History of Olive Oil: Olive Oil in Ancient Greece The olive tree was a particularly important symbol for the ancient Greeks.

It was connected to their diet and their religion, and was used as a decorative motif on vases, in gold jewellery and elsewhere. It was considered a symbol of peace, wisdom and victory. That is why the winners of the Olympic Games were crowned with a wreath of wild olive (the cotinus). Olives in antiquity were usually gathered by beating the tree with rods, although ancient authors condemned this practice. Pliny repeatedly recommends: “Do not shake and beat your trees. Gathering by hand each year ensures a good harvest.” The olive-harvesting knowledge of the ancients, incredibly advanced for its time, was often aided by astronomy, used to predict poor harvests. Thales of Miletus, for example, used his astronomical observations to predict an excellent harvest for 596 BC. He immediately established many new oil-presses on Chios and Melos, making the islands’ inhabitants rich in a year. Democritus also studied the relationship between good harvests and the positions of the stars. Olive oil had many uses in ancient Greece, differing according to social status. Poor people, for instance, did not consume olive oil but ate many cereals.

The rich, on the other hand, were able to use olive oil in cooking, for cleaning their bodies and for lighting. Olive oil was also a valuable medicine in the hands of ancient Greek doctors. Hippocrates mentions 60 different conditions which could be treated with it, such as skin conditions, wounds and burns, gynaecological ailments, ear infections and many others. Greek Athlete removing the olive oil from his body with a stlengis ( strigil ) When medicine was not enough to save the patient, olive oil was used in laying out the dead. Women washed the body and anointed it with olive oil or scented oils. Oil, wine, honey and other products were offered to the dead at the graveside. Another popular use of olive oil in ancient Greece was for oiling athletes’ bodies before exercise in the gymnasium and at games. Olive oil was also a valuable winner’s prize. The city of Athens needed about 70,000 kilos of oil to reward the winners of the Panathenian Games, held every four years. The winner’s prize varied according to the event.

The best runner received about 70 amphoras of 35-40 kilos, i.e. 2,500 kilos of olive oil, while the chariot-race winner got double, i.e. about 5,000 kilos. These prizes were worth a lot of money if you consider that a day’s wages for an Athenian craftsman was 1 Attic drachma, the equivalent of about 3 kilos of olive oil. And that was just the price of common oil, whereas the winner’s oil was much better quality and more expensive. Of course no-one would buy this oil to eat; instead it was used for anointing the bodies of rich young athletes. History of Olive Oil: Olive Oil in the Greek colonies It was the ancient Greeks who introduced the cultivation of the olive to their colonies. The Greek population was growing fast, and after a while, there was no longer enough room for everyone in the cities. The more adventurous among them began moving out and founding Greek colonies in Sicily, southern France, and the west coast of Spain as early as 800 BCE. Other émigrés went east, reaching the shores of the Black Sea.

Everywhere they went, they took olive trees with them. In 600 BCE, the Phoenicians were active in the western Mediterranean, and were consolidating their trade routes, buying olive oil from Philistia and the city of Ekron in what is now Israel. Dealing in olive oil was the backbone of the import-export trade in the ancient world. Merchants came from Phoenicia, Crete and Egypt to the Mediterranean basin and even farther, from 600 BCE onwards. The Scythians of the southern steppes of Russia came to replenish stocks of olive oil at the prosperous Greek trading posts of the Black Sea which later became the spas of Romania. Depositories of oil jars such as those of Komos in Crete are evidence of the importance of the olive oil trade. Olive oil was already liquid gold, ages before fuel oil became known as black gold. The Romans copied many of the Greek practices as they developed their empire and expanded the olive cultivation the Greeks had started. At first they did not cultivate olive trees in Italy itself but relied on established producers in distant provinces like those in Spain, thus increasing their olive oil trade with the conquered countries of the Roman Empire.

After conquering the whole of the Mediterranean and eliminating the last vestiges of Greek power, the Romans began cultivating the olive tree in Italy. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century CE and the Barbarian invasion, olive cultivation declined for a millennium. Western Europe entered the Dark Ages, but olive production persisted in the Eastern Roman empire, Byzantium. With recurring invasions by various Christian armies and later the Ottoman conquests, Byzantium was hardly a stable place during these years, but olive cultivation remained an important activity in the land that is now Turkey. Olive oil regained its ancient role only in the Middle Ages, mainly under the careful influence of religious communities. However, it took much longer before olive oil again became the liquid gold of antiquity. After the 16th century AD, Europeans introduced the olive tree to the New World and it is now cultivated in California, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina. It is estimated that there are about 800 million olive trees in the world today, the vast majority (95%) in Mediterranean countries.

Olive trees are widely cultivated in Greece, far more so than any other fruit tree, comprising 75% of total arboriculture and covering about 15% of agricultural land. Olive Oil in Languages The influence and movement of the olive tree and olive oil was very extensive. The words used for olives and olive oil in modern languages still give a hint of these ancient movements. Where the trees were brought by the Greeks, the olive tree was called by the Greek term elaia, today elia, and olive oil was called elaioladho. The Latin word olea is a corruption of elaia. Olea in turn migrated into the Romantic languages, so that even the English word oil reflects that linguistic descent. Where the olive followed the Phoenician trading routes, words that stem from the Semitic word for olive, zeit, are common: sait, taiti, even tat in Egypt. Further west in Morocco, the olive oil was known by one of these Semitic variants. The Phoenicians were said to be the first to plant olive trees on the Iberian Peninsula.

The Romans greatly expanded the orchards, but the Moors thoroughly expunged almost all traces of Rome in their 7th century conquest of Iberia and centuries-long occupation of Spain. Today, traces of Arabic remain in modern Spanish: olive oil is aceite. A History of Baths and Showers A BRIEF HISTORY OF BATHS AND SHOWERS By Tim Lambert Baths and Showers in the Ancient World The Egyptians are known for their cleanliness (they bathed frequently) and they used many cosmetics. Meanwhile in Babylon before 2,000 BC a form of soap was made. The Greeks knew that diet and exercise and keeping clean were important for health. The Greeks even invented a form of shower, which sprayed bathers with water. Most Greeks washed in a bowl on a pedestal called a louterion though the rich sometimes had bathrooms. People rubbed themselves with olive oil then rubbed it off with a tool called a strigil. The Romans also knew that dirt encourages disease and they appreciated the importance of cleanliness. They built aqueducts to bring clean water into towns. In Roman towns an important building was the public baths. In Roman times people went to the baths not just to get clean but also to socialize.

Roman Baths consisted of a frigidarium or cold room, a Tepidarium or warm room and a caldarium or hot room. You usually finished with a dip in a cold pool. To clean themselves Romans rubbed their skin with oil and scraped it off with a tool called a strigil. (The Romans also made soap). Roman women also used razors, pumice stone, tweezers and depilatory creams to remove unwanted body hair. Baths in the Middle Ages In the Middle Ages there were bathhouses in many towns were people could pay to have a bath. Furthermore in Northern Europe in the Middle Ages people took sweat baths. In the 14th century Edward III installed a bathroom in the Palace of Westminster. Other people made do with wooden tubs in their bedrooms. Furthermore in the Middle Ages there was an important soap making industry in England (although many people made their own soap at home). In the Middle Ages people used combs and tweezers. They also used toothpicks and mouthwashes. In the Middle Ages in monasteries streams provided clean water. Dirty water was used to clear toilets, which were in a separate room.

Monks also had a room called a laver where they washed their hands before meals. Baths and Showers 1500-1800 Most Tudors cared about their appearance. People carried mirrors made of glass or steel. They also carried combs and used tweezers, ear scoops and bone manicure sets. In the Summer people sometimes had a bath in the local river. Sometimes they heated a cauldron of water and had a strip wash. Or they could have a 'dry wash' by rubbing themselves with clean linen. In the 16th century bathrooms were very rare but Henry VIII had a bathroom in Hampton Court Palace. It had a simple boiler for hot water. In the 17th century people used toothpicks but in the latter part of the century toothbrushes were introduced. (Toothbrushes came from China. They were first mentioned in 1498). People also made scented soaps. Then in 1767 Englishman William Feetham invented the first modern shower. However in Britain showers did not become common until the late 20th century.

Baths and Showers in the 19th Century and 20th Century In the mid 19th century middle class homes began to have bathrooms. Having a bath was also made much easier by the development of gas water heaters. The electric water heater was invented in 1889. Working class houses with bathrooms were first built around 1900 and in the 1920s council houses were built with bathrooms. However at that time bathrooms were still a luxury. As late as the early 1960s many homes in Britain did not have a bathroom. From about 1800 portable metal bathtubs gradually replaced wooden ones and in the 19th century some people used hand-pumped showers. In the 19th century toothpaste was sold in jars until 1892 when Washington Sheffield invented the collapsible toothpaste tube. Meanwhile in 1888 the first modern deodorant was invented. It was called Mum. The first safety razors for men were sold in 1901. Women first began to shave under their arms in the 1910s. The first razor for women was introduced in 1915.

In the 19th century most homes also had a scullery. In it was a 'copper', a metal container for heating water for washing clothes. The copper was filled with water and soap powder was added. To wash the clothes they were turned with a wooden tool called a dolly. Or you used a metal plunger with holes in it to push clothes up and down. Wet clothes were wrung through a device called a wringer or mangle to dry them. The clothes wringer or mangle was invented by Robert Tasker in 1850. Simple hand operated washing machines were invented in the 18th century. The first electric washing machine was made in 1907. In Britain washing machines first became common in the late 1950s and 1960s. Meanwhile The electric clothes dryer was invented in 1935 by a man named J. Ross Moore. The first laundromat opened in Fort Worth, Texas in 1934. The first laundrette in Britain opened in 1949. Josephine Cochrane invented the first practical dishwasher in 1886.

By 2009 36% of households in Britain had a dishwasher. Steel wool cleaning pads were invented in 1913. Meanwhile soap was rationed in Britain from 1942 to 1950. People used to wash their clothes with soap flakes. The first synthetic detergent was invented in Germany during the First World War. In the following decades detergents were gradually improved and became more common. Today washing is much easier than it was in the past. Washing is a lot easier with the proper water heater. History and making of homemade soap with used olive oil. HISTORY AND MAKING OF HOMEMADE SOAP WITH USED OLIVE OIL Soap is an ancient product, as old as man's need to clean himself. Soaps do not only have hygenic benefits but they were also conceived as ointments dedicated to alleviating aches and pains or to relax the body. Its true, that what we now consider today as soap, is far from the soap that was used in ancient times as in the Middle Ages or even in more recent times. The objective of the product was exactly: to eliminate the dirt from clothes and the human body, however its composition has varied a lot.

Natural artisan soaps are composed of animal fat or oils such as olive oil, mixed together with an alkaline substance such as, for example, sodium hydroxide (pure lye). However, soaps and detergents contain synthetic chemical substances whose objectives are to produce a large amount of foam. And as a result, foam has been related to cleanliness even though this is in fact a complete myth. Virgin olive oil is perfect for the making of homemade soaps The origin of the name "soap" came much after the origin of the product itself. Roman mythologic tradition relates the origin of the name with Mount Sapo, situated close to the river Tíber in Rome. The story tells that it was in the on the side of this mountain that the chemical reaction of saponification was first produced, i.e. the rain water mixed with the ash and animal fat from ritual animal sacrifices, giving birth the origin of soap. Another custom exists that affirms that the origin of the name prodeeds from the town of Savona, situated close to Génova in Italy, where the first solid soap was made.

Which highlights the etymological similarity between the name of the town and the French denomination of soap as "savon" and the italian "sapone". We can't know for sure which was the real origin of soap, however its origins can be retraced. The first testimonial source made a reference to a soap-like product from III millennium BC, in ancient Mesopotamia, the land which was the origin of the great civilizations of mankind. Specifically in the Sumer region clay tablets appeared telling of the mixture consisting in the boiling of oils with alkali, potassium, sodium, resins and salt. This mixture was used mainly to treat the textile fabrics such as wool and skin. Clay tablet like the one located in Mesopotamia which refers to soap made with sodium, oil and other items. Also, from Ancient Egypt come testimonies related to soap substances or detergents, to make them they used fuller's earth, the natron and crushed lupins. They displayed references to mixtures made with oils and fats, but the aim of these ointments was in fact medicinal. Similarly, in Phoenicia in the seventh century C. there is testimony to the use of soap, especially for cleaning cotton and wool.

Like in all other ancient societies, the classic civilization also used soap. One can still witness the discovery of archaeological remains found in the Roman city of Pompeii, which have been interpreted as a soap factory, dating from the II millennium BC. According to the testimony of Pliny the Elder, author of the first century AD, he attests to the use of soap in one of his texts on the different types of soaps that women used to treat their hair. This author claimed that it was the Gauls who invented soap in the fourth century BC. It consisted in a frothy liquid which was obtained by boiling oils with the water from the washing of ashes. Another classical author who names soap in their texts is Galen, of the second century BC. This author identifies it as a product used for washing clothes and personal hygiene. In spite of these mentionings, the Greeks and Romans more than soap, used to use olive oil for their personal hygeine. They smeared their bodies in olive oil and sand and afterwards proceeded to remove the mixture along with the dirt with a scraper called "strigil". Use of the "strigil"accompanied by a mixture of olive oil and sand.

Athenian red-figure cup (460 BC) With the fall of the Roman Empire and the barbarian invasions the use of soap in Europe fell into decline. However, the Muslim world continued investigations in the field and they were the first to introduce lime to the ash lye, in fact, the word alkali derives from the arab "al-qali", which meant ash. From the VIII - IX century throughout the Mediterranean basin, and even more focused in the regions of Marseilles, Genoa, Savona and Venice, the soap industry began to flourish. During the fifteenth century soaps made from olive oil were on the rise, spreading across Europe, becoming the best form of body care. These soaps were the precursors of today's soaps. DEVELOPMENT OF SOAP CRAFT: Many and varied procedures have been used in the making of soap. Here, we will examine the non-industrial production from two soap recipes that feature used olive oil as an ingredient. When we reuse virgin olive oil to cook various times it loses its properties and ends up deteriorated. In this situation we can choose to get rid of it or recycle it.

Traditionally, rural women in nineteenth and twentieth century used to whiten their clothes with soap that they made from used virgin olive oil with hot water and ash in their households. The soap-making process is very simple and in addition it gives great results, offering a creamy and efficient soap. Before you start, you need to put on rubber gloves so that your hands will not come into contact with the sodium and you must never use aluminium or tin recipients so as to prevent the expellation of harmful fumes. Virgin olive oil is one of the three key ingredients for making homemade soap Tradicional Soap Recipe: To make this recipe you need 3 litres of water, ½ kilo of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and 3 litres of used virgin olive oil. The first step is to mix in the recipient on the heat, the soda with the water and stir, always in the same direction, until it dissolves. Next, add the olive oil a little bit at a time until the mixture curdles. This is when you can add items such as bleach so that the soap comes out whiter or scents of herbs and fruits to give you a nicer smell. As the mixture gets colder it acquires a solid look and feel.

The soap should be put in a wooden or plastic container and left for a couple of days until it has all solidified. Then you cut it into pieces and it is ready to use. Artisan soaps made from used extra virgin olive oil Liquid Soap Recipe: The recipe of this homemade soap is very similar to the previous one, however, this one is of liquid soap that can be put directly into the drawer of your washing machine. The ingredients are 8 litres of water, ¼ kilo of soda, a bottle of liquid detergent, 2 litres of fabric softner and 2 litres of used olive oil. The procedure is to dissolve all ingredients in large bowl and leave it to stand for 7 to 9 days in a row, during which you must stir regularly with a wooden tool. At the end of the 7 to 9 days, when the paste thickens acquiring the look and feel similar to liquid soap, it is ready. Then the soap can be distributed in reused bottles of fabric softener and soap. Este tipo de jabones artesanos a base de aceite de oliva virgen extra queda totalmente disuelto en el agua y no deja restos de residuos.

This type of artisan soap, with an extra virgin olive oil base are completely dissolvable in water and leaves no residue remains. It is ideal for washing clothes and if used to wash floors it leaves a clean and shiny finish, that makes them look as if they had been waxed. It also helps protect the environment in being an organic soap. Women washing clothes in the river with natural virgin olive oil based products bioesti is wholesaler exporter of natural sea sponges and handmade marseille olive oil soap Untitled Document The importance of olive oil in Ancient Greece. According to ancient Greeks, Dactyls are the ones that disseminated the olive in the Greek mainland. The Cretan Kouritis brought and planted the first olive tree in Olympia and was the founder of the Olympic games. Dactyls Hercules had four siblings. He was the oldest one and he once took them to Olympia for a running race. Dactyl Hercules crowned the winner with a twig from the olive tree that he had planted there. Since then, people who won an Olympic event, were crowned with an olive twig. From Olympia the olive tree planting was expanded to the rest of ancient Greece. Olive trees had a sacred place amongst other plants in Minoan art.

Not only were they stored in special jars that were very hard to make, they also had splendid wall art with their main topic being of course, olive trees. Ancient Greeks presumed olive trees as sacred, and according to Aristotelis , anyone found destroying the trees was punished by death. It was a symbol of peace and who ever offered it was accepted with respect. Solon , when published new laws, ensured the dramatic increase of oil production. Along with the developing of the civilization, so were developed the importance of olive trees and the laws protecting them. A new law Solon ensured was that whoever dared to lay a hand on an olive tree, would be punished with death and especially the holy olive trees the goddess Athena had offered to the city of Athens. Even if the tree was withered and only its trunk remained, still, nobody could not touch it. During the Panathenaic races, organised to honour goddess Athena, the winners of these races, except the wreath, got large quantities of olive oil, which was usually sold to outsiders. Even though the governors of Athens strictly forbid exporting olive oil, Pannathenean winners were allowed. This olive oil was then appeared all over Italy and Marseilles.

Olive oil was bought by wealthy young people, who loved to apply themselves with this sacred oil that came to them in ancient storage jars. Olive oil was probably the first branded agricultural product in ancient world. In the Greek ancient culture, the olive tree was the tree of peace. Goddess Eirini (Greek word for peace) was pictured with an olive branch placed in her hands. The best way of demonstrating peace during war times was each war leader giving an olive branch to the other one. The messengers, which were to broadcast a message of peace to the enemy held an olive branch, and was respected by each and every soldier of the enemy. It was the indisputable holy symbol that stated the intents of the ones that had decided to send it. OLIVE OIL & HERBS: HEALTH BENEFITS Within the Hippocrates code, over sixty medical uses of olive oil can be found, the most common are mainly for healing of dermatological diseases. Also, olive oil is the base of the Hippocrates diet, in combination of course, with wine and bread.

In his book «Dietology and Therapies», Hippocrates mentions that: “using oil in winter helps the body remain warm, because it stops the heat from escaping your body. In summer when you mix oil with water and rub it on your body, it nourishes it and prevent overheating”. Plutarch in his book ‘ethics’ refers to mastitis treatment with a mixture of olive oil and water, also keeping gums healthy and teeth white. In the temple of Asklepius oil was used in order to create ointments and medicines. Olive tea and olive flowers and their leaves were used as medicine for stomach ache and for irritation of eyes. In all the ancient books of Hippocrates (Hippocrates collection), Theofrastus (History of plants), Dioscorides (About medicines), Galenos etc gave great importance in the healing abilities of herbs and trees. In ancient medical treatments herbs, roots, leaves and their essences were used among others as anti-fever, pain killers, anti-emetics, psychotropic drugs, hypnotics and drugs.

Question: What did the ancient Greeks use instead of soap?
Answer: Olive Oil